


Body Electric

by KingdomVelvet



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: ... and a dead dad, Blood and Gore, Depressing, Divine OCs, Edgy, Hylians are rich and humans are poor, Kinda Dark, Link as a mom, M/M, human/hylian racism, kinda sad, long after Twilight Princess, lost childhood friends, mention of canibalism, might have actual cannibalism, modern-ish AU, rich vs poor, you know the drill
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:14:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22342405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingdomVelvet/pseuds/KingdomVelvet
Summary: Something's wrong with Hyrule.It's weird to say, but it doesn't seem healthy. As if some stuff shouldn't be there, nor even exist! Some people even forgot really big chunks of their memories, but why?The hero of legend and the princess of destiny are soon brought back together and with the help from an unlikely source, maybe, just maybe, things could get better again.
Relationships: Link/Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, KingdomVelvet here!
> 
> As you may know (or not, it’s fine), I found my old, maybe bad, fanfics I wrote by the end of my teenagehood, so between 2014 and 2016. Reading it got me inspired to touch them again and rewrite what I got in english for you guys to read!
> 
> I’m not sure if I will continue them, so don’t get your hopes too high, just have fun!!
> 
> This is Body Electric  
> Originally published in french back in 2015 on Wattpad.  
> It takes place in the world of the Legend of Zelda, very late after Twilight Princess. It’s also a bit of a “modern-ish” AU with some concepts that don’t really exist in LoZ
> 
> When I re-read that fic one night I was like “Whoa! I actually wrote that!”. By that, I’m saying that it was surprisingly really good and it really pumped me up that translate it and maybe even continue it! But first, some things you should know…
> 
> This is a LinkxOC fic. Originally, the OC was a girl, but now I came-out 4 years ago and I’m like “I want that gay shit”, so the OC is now a boy ;)  
> I also felt that this change would inspire me to write more, but it also means that I had to remove some parts because they won’t make much sense anymore. Don’t worry tho, those parts were kinda iffy anyways and kinda broke the mood, so this is for the better.  
> Another thing is that I got horny or something, thinking of the ship, so I decided to give them a “touchy-feely” dynamic. No, it doesn’t mean that they’re banging all the time (tbh, I’m not that good at smut lol). What it does mean is that they kinda stand rather close to each-other, they hold hands every time they can and aren’t reluctant to share a bed if it’s an option, Mostly cute stuff haha.
> 
> You may have noticed the tags, but this story is kinda edgy and somewhat depressing. So yes, KingdomVelvet once had an edgy phase XD.
> 
> As I re-read, there were some parts I wondered where I was going with them, which means that I kinda forgot the overall plot. So imma have to think about that hehe...
> 
> And that’s it! The first 4 chapters are from 2015, but you can expect more chapters some time soon. Honestly, I’m really proud of this one, so I hope you enjoy it too :)

##  Young Link

_ “So, how is it here?” asked the boy. _

_ “It’s not that bad. It’s been three days, but it’s still really big,” I answered. _

_ “I know.” _

It’s been about three days now that me and my mother had moved to Castle Town. My mom always said that Ordona was way too far from the city and too dangerous for me. The death of my father seemed to only prove her point.

When we arrived, a boy around my age came to greet us. He said that it wasn’t common to see people from the south. He had a pretty necklace.

At first, I didn’t really like him. He was kinda always here and wouldn’t stop talking to me. The next day, I went to my new school and I learned that he didn’t have friends. Someone said that we shouldn’t hang around  _ people like him _ . My teacher seemed to think the same way. When the boy answered her questions, if they were wrong, he would get hit on his fingers and if they were right, the teacher would ignore it and ask someone else. It was then that I noticed that all the kids with round ears were suffering the same way.

Today, the boy was being intimidated by a group of children. No one had moved to help him. It appeared that the round eared kids were scared of the sharp eared ones, people like me, the ones bullying him. After a while, the boy just up and left, never coming back. Making sure no one saw me, I decided to go after him. I just couldn’t understand why people hurt him. I didn’t get why, just because he had round ears, he would get beaten that way.

I found him out of the school grounds, on the roof of a house. His fluffy hair was dancing in the wind.

“Are you ok?” I asked once I got up to him.

“I don’t know,” he said simply.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s been like that for days. I don’t know if I can continue like this.”

It was then that I noticed that he was crying. Sitting down next to him, I put my arm around him like how my dad used to do when my mom was afraid. The brown haired kid smiled at that.

“I knew you were different,” he said.

We stayed like this for a while, in silence, watching the sky. I figured he would talk to me and he wanted to. Here, on the rooftop, there were no difference between us. This was how things should have been.

“So, how is it here?” asked the boy, wiping his tears.

“It’s not that bad. It’s been three days, but it’s still really big,” I answered.

“I know.”

“But here people seem so far from each other you know,” I added. “It’s not like how it was in my old town in Ordona. There, Sharp ears were going along just fine with the round ears.”

I also told him that I remembered of a mixed couple in the town but I omitted to tell him that they weren’t looked at very kindly.

“Wow. I envy them,” he sighed.

“Hey… What’s your name?”

“William.”

I smirked at him. “Well, William. I, Link, have a challenge for you.”

He gave me a weird look. “What kind of challenge?”

“Finish school with me and, when we’ll be old enough, we’ll go live in Ordona together!”

Stars appeared in William’s otherwise dark eyes. He looked really excited. It made me smile. “You promise?”

“I swear it.”

“Then it's a deal,” he almost yelled. “I’ll do my best.”

William hugged me hard. My smile grew larger.

* * *

  
  


It has been two days since my promise to William. Since then, things seemed to only go for the better. We were now best friends, however, we determined it was best to not show it a school. In class, knowing better, he didn't even bother to raise his hands and being around me seemed to help him stand up to his bullies.

“He’s less interesting now,” I heard one of them say.

When I learned that his mother owned a bakery, it made me remember that it was my birthday today.

“Really?” William asked after school.

“Yeah.”

“Oh! Happy birthday! You know, my mom gives discounts to the birthday boys. 5 rupees for a cake.”

“5 rupees! That’s not a lot.”

“I know. We’re having a hard time right now. We need to attract customers.”

“I’ll let my mom know.”

***

“... Happy birthday to you!” sang my mother to me.

“Thank you!”

I sat at the table in front of my favorite dish. My mom soon joined me, sitting on a chair in front of me. “Alright, let's eat! After dinner, I know the perfect place where we could get you a piece of cake!”

“Me too,” I said between to bites.

“Really?”

“Yeah, Annie’s Bakery.”

My mom looked at me as if she remembered I was just 12 years old. She placed her fork on the edge of her plate. She seemed worried.

“I’m sorry Link, but no, we can’t go there.”

“Why not? You don’t even know where that is,” I accused her.

“That’s true, but my friends told me I should avoid going there. But, they also suggested a great place. It’s not cheap, but apparently, their cakes are legendary. The best in the city!”

“But the ones at Annie’s are only 5 rupees.”

“Link,” she said, annoyed. “Contrairly to them, we’re not poor. We can afford the other place just fine.”

Deciding that the conversation was over, she began to eat again, inviting me to do the same. I told her I wasn’t hungry anymore. She then gave me an exasperated look and told me that it was bad to be around humans. She also announced that Maria, the human in the mixed couple back in Ordonna, was finally chased out of our village.

After dinner, my mom canceled our outing, saying that I had a bad attitude. Angry, I went in my room. When the first stars started to poke out in the sky, I really felt like seeing William. I took my wallet and sneaked out my window.

When I arrived before the address William gave me, I can’t help but to look around. The houses were stuck against each other et streets were really narrow. It appeared that some bricks were missing on many of the buildings, but it wasn’t a deliberate choice, just like how some windows were replaced by wooden planks.

Suddenly, the door of the bakery opened and I see William and a woman carrying boxes out of the shop. The woman then stamped words on the door : CLOSED FOR GOOD.

“Ah Link! You came!” My best friend smiled at me.

I noticed that the woman, who must have been Annie, seemed to get nervous when she saw me.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Oh. A lady in white came and told us to close shop. She also told us to go wait on Eldin Bridge with all of our stuff. I don’t know why.”

William turned around towards his mom to ask her something. I see her nod and my friend came back to me with a box in hand.

“Here! Happy birthday!”

I opened the box to find a strawberry shortcake in it.

“Enjoy! This was our very last cake and I wanted to give it to you. Along with this…”

He removed his necklace to then put it around my neck. It shone brightly in the moonlight.

“William…”

“Eat,” he said, his voice shaking.

With the fork that was in the bottom of the box, I took a first bite of the shortcake. The strawberries were juicy and there was a sweet vanilla aftertaste. I could also taste all the effort Annie and William had put into the cake. It was delicious. There was a single tear rolling down my cheek. I guess that somewhere I knew that it was probably the last time I would see William. My friend was smiling at me, doing his best not to cry.

“Good night Link.”

On that, William picked-up a few boxes and left for the city gates. I saw Annie coming towards me.

“How old are you now?”

“12,” I said, trying to stay calm.

She looks back at her son. “He’ll be strong.”

She turned and grabbed the remaining boxes. “You too, be strong. For him.”

She then went after her child.  _ Good night William _ .


	2. Chapter 2

## William

_“Do you need anything?” she asked me._

_“Depends, do we have strawberries?”_

Once again, I woke up with the burning sun right on my face. Even though it wasn’t really comfortable, at least it was a promise that today was going to be a nice one.

Which was perfect, for today was a very special day. It was _his_ birthday! And to celebrate, I would bake him a delicious cake. When I arrived in the kitchen, my mom wished me a good morning before telling me she had some shopping to do today.

“Do you need anything?” she asked me.

“Depends, do we have strawberries?”

“I think we have three left. I could check for some today. It’s the season.”

My mom kissed me goodbye. It was only when the door closed that I remembered that I would also need vanilla extract. Oh well, I’ll go get some after work. I took a piece of bread and headed out . Once again, the outside world greeted me with the distinct smell of the shantytown. I didn’t think I would ever get used to it.

I worked in an old wagon that had been transformed into a little restaurant. I was basically a waiter but I also cooked from time to time. I didn’t make a lot of money though. We didn't get many customers and the ones we got didn’t usually have a lot of rupees. So the prices were low and the tips were rather rare.

“Good morning William,” said Beth, one of my co-workers. “My, my. You seem happy today. Trying to get more tip?”

“Maybe.”

“I knew it,” she smiled stupidly, proud of herself.

Beth was a bit older than me. She had a father and a brother. The three of them had brown hair, in a shade lighter than mine. After the exodus, her mother sacrificed herself to feed her children. Their father wasn’t there that day. Beth seemed happy most of the time, but I knew she regretted eating her mom. But the thing was, she wasn’t the only one.

“So,” Beth said. “Wanna share why you’re so giddy? We don’t see you like that very often.”

“It’s my friend’s birthday today. He lives in the city.”

“Oh really?” She asked in surprise. “So he’s hylian?”

“Yes,” I cowered, expecting her next line.

“You know they don’t really like us right?”

“But he’s different,” I tried to convince her just like I did with my mom. “Besides, it’s been 10 years since I last saw him and I miss him so much.”

Beth seemed like she was going to say something but restrained herself. I knew she thought that he had forgotten about me. That, like all hylians, he was now the scum of the world, the bane of our existence. Most humans weren’t over the exodus.

About 10 years ago, me, my mom and all other humans were forced to leave the city to go to the Eldin Bridge. There, we were told that we weren’t allowed to live inside the city walls and that we had to take care of ourselves. Back then, I was only 11, so I was only confused as all the people around me were getting more and more outraged. One night, I told my mom and a few of her friends that we could maybe go to Ordona but when we arrived in front of Faron Woods, we noticed that it didn’t look really _healthy._ So we decided to head back to the bridge.

Since then, we started to build houses with rocks, woods and any other kind of scrap we managed to find. After some time passed, the Zoras showed to be kind enough to share their energy with us.

***

The day went by quickly despite being rather unproductive. I sighed. I’ve only gotten 2 rupees of tip. Which meant that with my economies, I only got 5 rupees total. Not enough to pay the visitor’s tax. My sadness must have been really noticeable, for I soon found Beth besides me, putting her hand on my shoulder. “You really want to go see him, don’t you?” She then asked.

I nodded with conviction, trying not to cry.

“Then here.”

She hands me 5 rupees.

“You don’t have to,” I started.

“Take them!”

I looked at her in disbelief but also with so much gratitude. “Thank you so much,” I said, taking the rupees. Now I had 10. Enough for the toll and to buy me some vanilla extract for the cake.

Once I arrived at home, my mom told me she had found some strawberries which I took and started to bake. After inserting the cake in a carton, I took a piece of paper and wrote something the best I could. It had been a while since I last went to school, afterall. My mom wanted to cut the mop that I called my hair for the occasion, but I managed to dodge her scissors. Finally, before leaving, I brushed my teeth using my finger and took another piece of bread for the road.

Despite being so late in the evening, the line to enter the city was long. There was probably someone holding-up the line ‘cause they didn’t have the right amount to enter. While waiting, I pinched my cheeks to bring out some red in them. I heard somewhere that although it was mostly girls who did that, it could help me look somewhat healthy. 

When my turn came, I started to panic a bit. “What are your intentions?” Asked the guard in the most monotone way possible. He had his helmet on, so I couldn't see his face.

“Delivery,” I said, showing him the cake inside the carton.

“It will be 8 rupees to enter the city.”

Making sure I had enough, I payed the visitor’s tax.

“Aight. It’s 6:35 pm, you need to leave at 7. You have 25 minutes.”

“Thank you.”

Alright William, the worst is over, you’re inside. Now, to find _him_. I thought I managed to mix in the crowd. I adjusted my hood to make sure my ears were hidden. The contrast between the city and my shanty town was crazy. The city was drop dead gorgeous to look at. The central fountain shone under the setting sun, we could also hear beautiful music being played by many street artists. It also seemed like the house were often being renovated. They all looked so perfect.

If it wasn’t so difficult to get in, I would have come more often.

“Hey you,” some hylian guy said. “What do you have in your box?”

I stared at him. He had blond hair, but it wasn’t my old friend. “That’s none of your business,” I retorted, trying to sound confident. I tried to go back on my way, but he quickly caught-up to me and grabbed me by the arm, making me drop the carton. “No!”

I lowered myself and looked inside, the cake was fine.

“Oh, so it’s a cake then. It looks really good.”

“I told you it wasn’t a bomb,” said a green haired hylan girl, coming to join her friend.

I looked at them in disbelief. Why would I bring a bomb? It was already so hard to get inside the city walls. “I’m sorry, but I need to go,” I said, getting back up.

It wasn’t long before the two of them caught-up to me. I tightened my grip on the carton.

“Hey, can we have a slice?”

“No.”

“But it looks so good,” said the girl, following me. “I want a taste.”

It was then I decided to run.

“Stop following him,” said a third voice. “You’re going to scare him.

“You wolfed down the first cake,” said the first guy. “Now it’s our turn.”

“Besides, he’s only human,” added the girl.

I turned and hid in a dark alley. Soon after, I surveyed in silence as three shadows passed me. I did it. The cake was saved. I sighed in relief. In the end, I kind of hated the city. Events like these only opened old wounds I tried to repress. I better find him soon. Recollecting myself, I got up and minded to exit the alleyway.

“He must have turned this way…”

Startled, I brought the carton too close to myself as I connected with with the person who just appeared. I watched in horror as the strawberry shortcake flew into the air only to land right on the face of a lady that was passing by. The guy I bumped into turned around and bent in two. No, the right word would be that he bowed before the woman, just like all the people around us. And that was how I realized that the lady, displeased to have received cake all over herself, was none other than Princess Zelda. 

“I’m so sorry your highness,” I started in panic. “I can explain.”

“Quiet. I don’t want to hear anything.”

“But…”

“It’s far past 7,” she said dryly. “ Guards, get him out of the city.”

The guards obliged. I was so shocked and saddened that I didn’t even bothered as they harshly grabbed me and dragged me out. I started to cry. I’ve just entered inside the city, with rupees that were given to me for nothing. My cake was destroyed and I’ve just committed social suicide in front of the Princess of Hyrule. But the worst part was that I didn’t even see him. Maybe he was even there when everything happened. Beth was right. We didn’t even recognize each other.

I’m so sorry Link.

I was dumped on the other side of the gate like the trash I was. I couldn't stop crying. I was hurting. “Why? Why do you do this to us?” I cried to the sky. “What did we do to you? What did I do?”

Only stars looked back and as if they were mocking me, they looked outright beautiful tonight, just like the Hylians behind the walls. Tiredness started to get to me, I needed to go back home. I might have been sad, but at least I wasn’t dead. At that moment I didn’t really care, but I thought my mom would.

As I walked, the more and more I felt tired of feeling sorry for myself. I dried my tears. Crying won’t make the Goddesses help you. I needed to be strong.

When I approached the shanty town, a strong scent filled my nostrils, but it wasn’t the smell of trash nor one of the dirty people. This one smelled somehow very nostalgic. Once I arrived at home, it was my mom that opened the front door. Did she saw me coming? “William, there’s someone here for you,” she simply said.

Which was true. It was a tall lady in a big white dress, much prettier than Princess Zelda’s. That said, the sad golden mask she wore on her face made her look more unsettling than beautiful. She got out a small vial of perfume and sprayed it directly on my face. My eyes started to feel heavy.

“Mom?”

“William listen,” I could hear her say. “She’s going to take you somewhere. She promised me that everything will be fine. I love you.”

It was then that I fainted, staring at the saddest face I had ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read Elephant before (one of my other fics), you probably already noticed that I like my sad boys hehe~  
> Idk, I can't help it XD  
> Next part should be a bit lighter.


	3. Chapter 3

##  Link

_ “Was it good at least?” Asked Saria, obviously saddened. _

_ “To be honest, I remember one that tasted better.” _

  
  


It was past noon when my mom barged in my room. “Link wake up! Your friends are here.”

I sat up on my bed, still half asleep. Thinking she would help me, my mom opened the curtains that were right in front of my bed. The high sun shone bright on my face, making me sneeze for no reason. Mom said it must have been to pollen.

“Now hurry up,” she whined. “I’m pretty sure they have stuff planned for you.”

I obliged, but not at a speed I think she would have liked. I bathed my face in cold water before brushing my teeth. I decided to dress comfortably today. I put on a simple forest green hoodie with a pair of jeans. Going downstairs, I noticed my two friends, Ezlo and Saria, waiting for me in the kitchen.

“Good morning sleeping beauty,” teased Ezlo.

“Happy birthday,” added Saria.

I thanked her with a smile. Saria had a bob of green hair and she loved to wear tight clothing. Although she was slightly taller than me, she had a rather childish demeanor. One day at school, they taught us that an ancient sage was named like her and that she was rather close to the hero of time. Since then, Saria usually used every opportunity to remind us that.

Ezlo was the smaller of our trio, but he was also the loudest. Like me, he had blond hair. Speaking of that, he had this habit of playing with other people’s hair. Sometimes, we needed to remind him that he wasn’t a hat.

“Well then,” interjected my mom. “I’m working today, and since you’re now at the age I can’t trust you the least, everyone out.”

“It’s alright miss Link’s mom,” said Ezlo. “We were thinking of bringing him out into town.”

Before I could say anything, both him and Saria took me by the arms and dragged me outside. It wasn’t long after that we found ourselves sitting by the fountain, wondering what to do while people watching. “We could go buy you some new clothes,” suggested Ezlo. “We’re gonna need to change your palette one day or the other.”

“What about red or blue?” asked Saria.

“How about violet,” I added, rolling my eyes. “ No, I like my clothes the way they are thank you.

“And I think green fits you just fine,” said the girl with the same hair color. “What we need is to cut your hair. They’re starting to get long.”

“No don’t do that!” panicked the other blond.

“It won’t be today I will cut my hair either,” I assured him.

“Thank the Goddesses!”

“Oh shut up.” Saria punched Ezlo’s arm. Suddenly, a glimmer of an idea appeared in her eyes. “I know, let’s bring him  _ there _ !”

“Oh yes!  _ There _ !”

“Where?”

“ _ There _ !” Like earlier, both of my friends took me by the arms and brought me wherever they wanted. Soon, we were standing in front of a bakery.

“Sophie’s Cupcake,” presented Saria. “ This place is known for the best cake in the whole kingdom.”

“And today, they have a discount on strawberry shortcakes,” added Ezlo. “We know you love those.”

“That’s true,” I admitted, smiling. “I always have. So, own much will it be?”

“20 rupees instead of 30, but we’re gonna pay.”

I was going to object but they shut me up, insisting because it was my birthday. “If you want to do something, go pick us a table,” said Saria before heading inside with Ezlo.

Since it was nice out, I picked a table that was outside the shop. It took about 20 minutes before I saw my friends come back with a delicious looking cake and three plastic forks. I took one and started eating. My friends were too lost in their conversation that it took them a while to notice that I ate the whole thing.

“What? What about us?”

“You ate everything you pig!”

“I can, it’s my birthday,” I reminded them cockily.

“Was it good at least?” Asked Saria, obviously saddened.

“To be honest, I remember one that tasted better. And this one had a weird metallic aftertaste.” I didn’t say that just to tease them, I really did remember another that tasted way better. Just thinking about it gave me a headache.

“Link, are you ok?” asked Ezlo, snapping his fingers right on my face.

I nodded, a bit confused. “I was saying that it was a while since you last spoke,” said Saria.

“What? What time is it?”

“Almost 6:30.”

I thought she was lying but then I noticed the sun was setting in the horizon. By Nayru’s Love, where was I the past 5 hours?

“You also let us pierce you an ear,” added Ezlo, clearly not aware I was already in shock.

“WHAT!”

“Yeah, we all did.”

“Since I’m a girl, I did both,” said Saria.

I touched my pierce ear. It was still hurting, but the strange part was that I didn’t noticed the pain before they told me. I approached a store window to look at my reflection. The earring was round and blue. Thankfully, it was small and it didn’t look that bad. From the reflection, I noticed that Saria was giving me a worried look.

“You know, it’s not the first time you do something like that,” she reminded me. “Last time was about 4 years ago, when I asked you where you got the necklace you always wear.”

I touched the necklace in question. It wasn’t the first time it caused me troubles. It was vague, but one day, my mom wanted to throw it out. I didn’t remember the rest nor exactly why, but my mom told me I was ready to stab her to keep it.

“Look at that,” laughed Ezlo. “Looks like a ghost.”

We turned to where he was pointing. It was a human boy with fluffy brown hair who kinda did look like a ghost. “He looks so pale,” I noted.

“Yeah, and his black cloak makes such a big contrast that put it in evidence,” added Saria. “What do you think he has in his box?”

“A bomb.”

“I doubt it,” I said.

“He’s human, so it’s not impossible.”

Both of them looked at each other and nodded before going towards the boy. Me, I couldn’t move. Those dark eyes, that worried look, I saw all of that before. But where? Another headache came to me, but I quickly shoved it aside as I noticed Ezlo and Saria run after the boy.

“Stop following him,” I complained, catching up to them. “You’re going to scare him.”

“You wolfed down the first cake,” said Ezlo. “Now it’s our turn.”

So it was cake that he had.

“Besides, he’s only human,” added Saria.

I saw him turn in a dark alley. I decided to say nothing since my friends didn’t noticed. They should leave the poor guy alone. After a moment, Ezlo turned around to go back on his tracks. “He must have turned this way…”

And it was at the moment that he and the brunette collided. After that, me and Saria assisted to a scene where the boy’s cake flew off into the hair to land on the face of Princess Zelda. Everyone, except for the poor human, quickly bowed to her, holding back any form of emotions we might show.

“I’m so sorry your highness,” tried the boy. “I can explain.”

“Quiet. I don’t want to hear anything.”

“But…”

“It’s far past 7,” she said dryly. “ Guards, get him out of the city.”

I heard the guards move. After a moment, the Princess allowed us to raise. “I’m so sorry you had to see this,” she said. “You all can go back to your regular activities.”

On that, she left.

“Poor Princess,” I heard someone say. “ She had such a pretty dress.”

“Stupid humans,” added another one.

“Hey, the guy dropped this,” noticed Ezlo. “It’s a note, and it looks like it’s for you Link.” He gives it to me. “ It’s kinda hard to read though, it’s filled with mistakes.”

“At least it's not as bad as your writing,” Saria teased him.

“Hey!”

I started to read the note.

_ I heard that it was your birthday Link. Can you believe that it’s been 10 years since we last saw each other. Do you remember me? I hope you like the strawberry shortcake. I tried to make the same one as last time. Just try not to cry this time. _

_ William _

William? I heard that name before. I raised my head to look at the human boy who didn’t even complained about being mistreated by the guards. For no apparent reason, I started to follow them. William… That couldn’t be him right? Who was he again? Who was I talking about?

“Alt!” A guard stopped me. “I admire your courage, but it’s dangerous to wander out alone outside the gate during nighttime. You don’t even have a weapon.”

I didn’t even notice that I was at the city gate.

“What about the boy?” I asked.

“He, he is human. It’s not a problem if he dies.”

“Why?”

He shut up and started to stare at something in the distance, as if he couldn’t find an answer. Alright…

I decided to head back home. There was an odd, somewhat nostalgic smell in the air. I bid goodnight to my friends who seemed to be confused by my behavior. I didn’t want to worry them too much, so I also added that it was probably something in the cake I ate whole. The stars were out when I opened the door to my house.

“Link, someone’s here for you.”

Again? A lady with a sad golden mask rose as I entered. She walked towards me and gets out a perfume bottle from under her white sleeve. Before I could do anything, she sprayed its content under my nose. I fell on the ground, my mom screamed and everything became black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like writing Link. This one is kinda sassy hehe.
> 
> In case it wasn't obvious enough, Chapter 2 and 3 take place 10 years after Chapter 1. And this chapter's event are parallel to the ones from the previous chapter.
> 
> Chapter 4 will be a follow-up. See you soon.


	4. Chapter 4

##  Link

_ “You may be brave young man. But what you are about to do is futile. You have nothing to protect yourself.” _

_ I slowed down, noting that the voice was right. _

_ “Here in the Temple of Constance, the creatures are worse than the one found outside.” _

I woke up with a jump in a room that wasn’t my own. Actually, it was hard to say. It was so dark that it was almost as if my eyes were still closed. The only thing that confirmed that my eyes were open was the hint of light that came from below the door.

I got up and opened the door using my left hand. Not only because I was a lefty, but also because my right hand was hurting as if someone came and slashed on it with a knife.

As expected, it was a lot brighter in the always thanks to many skylights. The marble floor was cold despite the blazing sun. I got closer to a dead body to steal of his boots. I then started to explore the area telling myself that I should probably find myself a weapon. That guy was probably dead for a reason.

A few rooms later, I found a knife that was hidden in chest. It had strange markings. Another odd thing was that it had a really long hilt for a knife. Suddenly, I heard someone scream, It was a boy. Without thinking, I started running towards the source.

_ “You may be brave young man. But what you are about to do is futile. You have nothing to protect yourself.” _

I slowed down, noting that the voice was right.

_ “Here in the Temple of Constance, the creatures are worse than the one found outside. Made from the Queen in the Clouds’ nightmares, these will cause you much trouble. Be cautious.” _

The voice went away.

The Queen in Clouds, I never learned of anyone with that title. Regardless, it wasn’t the time to stay idle and ponder. That guy was in danger and I needed a shield. But where?

***

The Temple of Constance uh. I wondered if it made reference to the long and repetitive hallways. Passing in front of a plaque, I couldn’t help to read what was written on it.

“Here lies …”

The name had been blurred and honestly, I didn’t feel like digging the grave to find out who it was. But, they probably had a shield. The were ancient beliefs that burying a person with a shield would help them in their travels in the underworld.

I didn’t have a shovel, but in a situation like this one, dirtying myself shouldn’t be a problem. After removing a few stones, I found that the dirt was rather soft, making the job much easier. The putrid smell of rot started to fill my senses, I shouldn’t be far now. Soon, I saw a piece of metal. Dislodging it, it revealed itself to be a hylian shield.

It was used, but I guess it was better than nothing.

From afar, I heard someone curse. I looked around but there was nobody there, yet. Listening closely, I could hear footsteps coming closer. Instead of doing like the dumb kids in horror movies, I hid behind the big stones that were close to the grave. I had the element of surprise. When the person got closer, I got out of my hiding spot and went for an aerial strike.

“HYAAAH!” I cried in the air.

Princess Zelda screeched and slapped me once she noticed I had stopped before hitting her.

“Don’t do that,” she whined. “You scared me!”

I lowered my head as an apology.

“Either way,” she said once she was more calm. “I’m happy to find someone alive. Do you know where we are?”

I proceeded to tell her that a mysterious voice talked to me about a Temple of Constance and that I had heard someone scream. “So we are not alone. But I never heard of such a place.”

It was then she noticed my weapon. “A knife? Do you really think this could help us?”

“Well excuse me, Princess. But you don’t seem to have nothing else, so this will have to do.

After she scolded me on the way I spoke to royalty, we headed towards where I thought I heard the voice. After a while, she started talking about her day. About how she received a strawberry shortcake on her dress. I told her that I was there when it happened. After complaining that I had cut her, she confirmed that she did notice.

By Nayru, the amount of words that came out of that woman. Bla bla, new dress. Bla bla, angry parents. Bla bla, library. Bla bla, rigged perfume.

“Wait, can you repeat that last part?”

“Very well,” she said, annoyed. “After what seemed like many hours in the library, a woman dressed in white came in and told me I smelled like strawberry. After that, she gave me a bottle of perfume to make the smell go away. Obviously I did it because blablablablablablablablablablablabla. It was so stupid of me. I’m a lady blablablablablablablabla. In the end, I figured that the perfume was rigged to make me fall asleep. And that's how I got here.”

I told her that more or less the same thing happened to me.

“Also, my right hand had been hurting me since I woke up,” she added. I told her that mine too. “That’s weird. That said, I’m blablablablablablablablablablablabla.”

I rolled my eyes as she started talking about random things again. Thankfully, it didn’t last long because another scream was soon hear. Suddenly, the ground shook In the distance, we saw a guy wearing a black cloak running away from…

“By the spirits…”

The thing that was following the person was a writhing mass of corpses piled up on above the other. They seemed to be held up in a cage but the many hands and feet that slipped through were used to make them advance. It was hard to say, but it seemed like a dark ooze was coming it out their mouths, their eyes, their ears… It came right out of a nightmare!

“How can such a thing exist?” wondered Zelda, clearly horrified.

Remembering someone was in danger, I started towards their direction before the princess stopped me. “You can’t attack that thing. Not at all with that!”

She was right, unfortunately. It was only a knife and the hilt made it really weird to handle. It was as if someone started to make a sword but just decided to stop.

“I would suggest that we retreat, but I know you won't follow,” predicted Zelda. “Then, lets go help the boy, but only that. Don’t even think of fighting that monster.”

We started to advance silently, which was rather hard for Zelda because of her dress. Despite that, the monster was already making so much noise that it didn’t even mather.

When we were about 20 meters from the beast, the princess made us stop. She was understandably rather scared. “We’re way to close,” she worried. “And I can’t even see the boy.”

“Pssst!” someone did, startling us. “This way.”

In a hallway close to us, the boy we were going after signed us to follow him before going in the shadows. We followed. Once we got closer, I couldn’t tell who he was since he wasn’t facing us. I also noticed that he re-adjusted his hood on his head.

“How did you survived?” Zelda couldn’t help but ask. “Did you teleport yourself?”

The boy simply shook his head. “Did you notice how that thing moved? It seemed like it didn’t know where to go, as if each corpse wanted to have control. I managed to dodge it twice already.”

“Then we have an advantage,” she noted. “Who might you be by the way?”

He dodged our eyes. “It’s not important. We need to move.”

The boy ran and Zelda followed after sharing her scepticism. A headache was coming back to me. Who was that boy? His voice was so familiar. I caught up to Zelda, making her stop. The boy stopped too. “What are you doing,” he said between his teeth. “ The monster could come back at anytime.”

“We don’t even know where the exit is, nor even who you are,” I retorted. “How can we trust you?”

Zelda looked at me as if it was the first time I spoke that much.

“I told you, it’s not important.” He still had his back towards us.

“Yes it is.”

“Fine…”

Clearly not wanting to argue with us, the boy removed his hood, revealing a fluff of brown hair. He turned to face us and I stared at his big dark eyes. It was the cake ghost. It was…

“A human!” Zelda said in utter shock, clearly more surprised by his round ears. “That's it, we’re all going to die.”

The brunette covered on himself because of the comment. “That’s not true.”

“Oh yes it is!”

“But why?”

“Because-”

“Enough!” I interjected angrily. “The most important thing is to get out of here.”

“I completely agree,” said Zelda, passing in front of us, still disrought. “Let’s go this way.”

Me and the boy followed. “She didn’t apologize,” he mumbled sadly after a while.

“Forget it. You won’t hear that from her mouth.”

He made a sad smile. I didn’t know why, but seeing him like this hit me deeply. I went to grab his hand but he quickly removed it before looking at me like I said I was a demon or something.

“You can’t do that,’ he whispered. “You’ll get in trouble.”

“I’m sorry, I guess you’re right,” I said, butting my hand in my hoodie pocket. “You’re William right?”

He looked shocked. “How did you know?”

“I found your note that fell from your carton. Sorry for my friends by the way.”

“Oh.” Looking at him, I knew that he wanted to complain about them, but I also knew he couldn’t. He wasn’t allowed to. “That cake was meant to someone,” he instead said.

“I know, I’m-”

It was then that Zelda turned around and yell at us. “You guys need to hurry up. This place gives me the creeps.”

It was a bit further in that we finally arrived to large, round room with a really tall door. There were many paintings that ornated the roof and walls.

“Look on the ground,” said the Princess.

The Triforce was depicted, all in gold. Each triangle were big enough for someone to stand on. “There’s probably some sort of mechanism related to it,” she added.

“The top is power. On the left there’s wisdom and courage is on the right,” I recited by heart.

“Yes. Go stand on the right one and I’ll go on the left one.”

“Why?” asked William.

“My ancestors were always related to the Triforce of Wisdom,” explained Zelda. “And him, he almost ran in blindly to save you. So either he’s really dumb or he’s related to the Triforce of Courage.”

William blushed. “Ah.”

Me and Zelda installed ourselves where she indicated. The brunette still looked perplexed. “And the Triforce of Power then?”

“Maybe it’s him?” I suggested.

“No way,” said Zelda with disgust. “There’s probably someone else.”

“Who? Big boy?” I asked.

“Humans are simply incompatible to the Triforce. The hosts must be hylians.”

Suddenly, the ground began to shake and “big boy” barged in through the wall.

“Either we run or we try,” I announced to Zelda. “I can’t fight that thing with my knife.”

Not giving the chance for the Princess to answer, William ran for the top triangle.

The monster howled at the same time the Triforce shined brightly. My right hand was on fire and I noticed that it was the same thing for the other two.

It was then that I remembered everything.

“William!” I yelled. He looked at me. I showed him the necklace he gave me all those years ago and he started to cry. For the pain or memory, I didn’t have the time to tell for the door suddenly opened. The light of day penetrated inside the room, making the monster run back and my eyes squint.

The door fully opened, revealing the white lady waiting for us.

_ “Very well. You are now united. By the goddess Hylia, I give you this task: remove the rot that pains her land. But for now, you must rest. Do not forget anymore.” _

Then everything became black once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! I'm on a roll today hehe~  
>  The monster I depicted in the chapter was a clear reference to The Rotten, from Dark Souls II.
> 
> Only one more chapter to translate!

**Author's Note:**

> There's still more to translate, but compared to the previous fic, these ones are long! So the next update will be in a few hehe


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